The French Open is currently in third round play and there are two Australians left in the singles draws. On the men’s side, Alexei Popyrin of Sydney, the 25th seed, has advanced to the fourth round, while on the women’s side, the 17th seed Daria Kasatkina of Melbourne is in the third round.
Popyrin has not lost a set yet. In the first round, he beat Yoshihito Nishioka 7-5, 6-4, 1-2, as the Japanese veteran withdrew from the match due to a back injury. In the second round, Popyrin beat Alejandro Tabilo of Chile 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. In this match, Popyrin was the better server as he had eight aces and one double fault, compared to two aces and four double faults for Tabilo. The win over Tabilo was significant when you consider the fact he has beaten Novak Djokovic twice on clay in his career. Then in the third round on Friday, Popyrin beat Nuno Borges of Portugal, 6-4, 7-6, 7-5. Popyrin was the better server as he had 13 aces and one double fault, while Borges had five aces and four double faults.
Next up for Popyrin is American Tommy Paul, the 2023 Australian Open semifinalist, and 12th seed. They have beaten each other once before. Popyrin won 6-4, 6-3, in an Australian Open second round tuneup in Melbourne in 2021, and Paul won 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of s’Hertogenbosch in 2024, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Kasatkina beat doubles specialist Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 in the first round. Kasatkina broke Siniakova eight times in 19 opportunities. Then in the second round, Kasatkina beat Leolia Jeanjean of France 6-4, 6-2. Kasatkina broke Jeanjean six times in 16 chances. Kasatkina will play Paula Badodsa of Spain, the 2025 Australian Open semifinalist and 10th seed, on Saturday in round three.
From an Australian storyline, the biggest surprise is the fact that Alex de Minaur of Sydney lost in round two. de Minaur was considered a French Open contender, being the ninth seed, but lost 2-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan.
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